Re: RC: Re: Re: Training ride today

[Abby Bloxsom <goneriding@snet.net>]

> the purists say you should only
> ride in a snaffle or halter....won't accept any other options 

Not me.  I use snaffles of all sorts, martingales, and even the
occasional mild curb if it suits the case.

>and seems the
> line you have drawn, is that a well-trained horse should not need a running
> martingale.

Yep.  That's the line.

> This may be ideal, but more theory than practialiy in my years of
> experience.
> 
Not in my years of experience.  Many, many well trained horses and many
many horses that have been screwed up and I or my students have
unscrewed all but 3 of them without running martingales.

> Lets put you on one of these well-trained horses, in back of 50 horses
> taking off at a trot and canter-can you control that horse every time? 
If I can't, I will use a running martingale if I have to, but if I can't
I will also go back to the basics with the horse when I get home so I
can get rid of the blasted thing.

> Lets
> put you in the same situation on a narrow trail on a cliff.
> Can't bend or circle the horse to stop or slow down-still want just that
> little snaffle?
>
I want the bit that the horse *likes* (okay, I concede, maybe he doesn't
want a bit, but there will be one he accepts).  One thing I DO NOT WANT
UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES something holding onto my reins so I can't use
them effectively, and THAT'S what a RM does, without question. 

> How many times are you in situtaions like this?
> 
Well, only one of my trails has a cliff, and it's admittedly not very
long, but I frequently go out leading or tailing rides of up to a dozen
beginners - somebody else's kids - on trail rides of up to a couple
hours.  I ride a very competitive alpha mare in *only* a little snaffle,
with no RM, and I have to supervise the kids, ride in front or behind or
beside, and place my horse as a road block if a horse gets away from one
of the campers.  I have to ride one-handed while I pony another horse
behind me, get on and off to fix things and adjust tack, and also run
for help if someone gets hurt.  I have done all those things on my own
horses and on the camp horses.  
> 
> > If I think they're an idiot because the first thing they say for a horse
> > who carries his head too high is "get a running martingale" then I am
> > perfectly within my rights as an American.  I can also think someone's
> > an idiot for not wearing a motorcycle helmet if I want.
> 
> This is true, and I guess I can equally find you rigid and lacking in
> practical knowledge and common sense.
> 
More than welcome, but I think I'll choose to disagree.

> You are the one showing no common sense, for you don't even know the horse.
> >
What?  Recommending a martingale without knowing the horse is okay, but
saying that there are likely more constructive ways to deal with the
problem than patch it is not?

> Still,  with SOME horses, the simple, soft snaffle is just never going to
> cut it.
> 
I never said snaffle.  I said don't tie your reins to your horse's girth
unless you have a dire need to.

> Why, just becuase you declared it done?
>
No, because it had faded out into the ridecamp archives just like it
always does.
 
> Come on out to Calif. and re-train my big nasty mare to go only in a nice,
> soft bit.  Take however long you want..........then lets go out on the trail
> and test your theory.
> 
Will you pay my airfare?  I'll take the challenge, but I won't guarantee
it will be a snaffle.  I can make her accept the bit though.

> And take to heard the words of one of the great ladies and horsewomen I have
> every run into,
> Julie Suhr, excuse me for paraphrasing, but it was something to the effect
> that every horse/rider combination is different and you do what works for
> you..........
> 
Absolutely.  I agree, to the extent that one keeps the mind open to the
possibility that the horse needs to be ridden better than it is right
now, and make efforts to improve one's riding, rather than add gadgets.

-Abby